Starting a Templar army with a twist. Need Feedback!

[BALTA1]

Hello fellow crusaders!

After thinking long and hard about what other SM army to field besides DA I've come to this idea. I will call them "The Crimson Templars" The color scheme will be as much as the real Knights Templar as possible. Silver Armor through out with regal blue or white shoulder pads with red crosses. I'll have to do a couple paint trials to see if they go well together. I will follow the Black Templar codex.

 

Here's my first ever try at some fluff:

The Medinian Crusade was under taken by a Black Templar fleet to recover the Medina system from the Tau who wanted it for the vast amount of resources it provided. Though it was far from Imperial space, the Medina system was key to many other Crusades and other Imperial units who would use it as a staging ground, for repairs, and to re-equip their forces. The Tau had invaded the system with overwhelming forces and quickly over took the system though few pockets of resistance remained. Noe that the Black Templars arrived it was the Tau that went on the defensive. The initial engagements went well for the Black Templar's as surprise was on their side and they quickly took advantage of it. the Tau slowly but surely began to make a strong defense against the space marines and the remaining battles began to take a heavy toll on the Black Templars as they raged war from planet to planet to free the system from the Tau. The Medinian Crusade had an awesome fleet and included many support craft in order to relief the system and battle the Tau fleet. After many years of battle the Black Templars had retaken 75% of the system but also had to contend with huge combat losses at the hand of the Tau as well as 50% of their fleet lost to actions but were content that the Tau had suffered worst.

 

Preparations had begun to overtake Celia V, the largest planet of the system. The Tau had received great losses during the conflict so far and began to prepare for the onslaught that was sure to come. They knew that reinforcements and supplies were due to arrive as the fleet they had on station while mostly destroyed at the hands of the Templars, did manage to get a few blockade runners out of the system before they had picked up an abnormal amount of warp storms enclosing the system. Celia V was to become the decisive battle for the Tau. Short on supplies and troops they knew they had a better chance of stalling the Templars here better than anywhere else in the system. If they were to lose this planet the Tau would not be able to hold off the Templars and would be forced to leave the entire system back in the hands of the Imperium. The Tau commander ordered all remaining forces to the defense of Celia V.

 

On board the Battle Barge "Dorn's Bane" Marshal Guy Montreal knew that Celia V would be the decisive battle of the Crusade. If he can break the back of the Tau here the entire system would be saved and receive the Emperor's light once more. He had ordered all forces as well as his reserves into the battle. His fleet while being able to provide a bombardment at the start of the battle would be forced to leave orbit and prepare to deal with what may come of the rising warp storms. He had been in enough battles with the forces of Chaos to know all too well what the abnormal storms may bring. The Medina system was now for the most part back in Imperial hands so the Marshal had sent the message that most of the repair facilities were somewhat operational though low on supplies as the Imperial forces had destroyed most rather than leave them for the Tau. He hoped that any nearby Imperial forces would pick up that the beacons were back online and would come to the system to provide much needed reinforcements. The Marshal was well aware that they would not be able to fight on two fronts should Chaos forces arrive along with the storm.

 

The stage was set; both forces were as ready as they could be. The Tau knew they must be able to withstand the first crucial moments of the battle. The Tau commander was also aware that the Templars would pour all they could into the fight. He held on to the ironic hope that the Space Marine commander had to prepare for the impending storms and though he hated the forces of Chaos more than the misguided humans he knew that they would provide some breathing room for the Tau. The problem would be that once Chaos defeated the Templars the Tau would be the next target. There was nothing else the Tau commander could do. He had prepared all that needed to and it would be at the hands of the greater good.

 

Marshal Guy checked the last of the preparations to ensure all was going according to plan. The warp storms still hovered heavy on his mind, he knew that Celia V must be taken as swiftly as possible to allow them to take defensive measures as they would go from being the attacker to the defender. What remained of his fleet had used the repair stations in the system that were operational and resupplied as much as they could. All was set as he stood on the bridge watching Celia V from orbit switching his stare between the planet and the warp storms behind it. He ordered the attack and knew it was in the Holy Emperor's hands now.

 

Fire began to shower the planet as the Imperial bombardment began. Many Tau encampments were utterly destroyed but there remained enough Tau forces after the bombardment to defend the planet. Drop pods began to drop and now there was fire shooting from the ground to the sky as the Tau used what remained of their air defenses to engage the Imperial forces making land fall. Commander Balthazar was placed in charge of all ground forces and upon landing began the assault. The drop went far better than he expected with 92% of his forces intact. All companies landed on or nearby their landing zones and begun to engage the enemy. The battle raging was hard fought on both sides with the Templars gaining the advantage as they progressed to their objectives yard by yard under heavy Tau fire. Soon it would be over thought Commander Balthazar but he also knew that once the Tau was defeated they had a more deadly foe to contend with. He pushed his brothers harder into the fray.

 

Dorn's Bane had begun to leave orbit when long range scanners began to pick up unknown spacecraft. Marshal Guy knew what was to come; he had committed all his force to the battle on Celia V but kept half of his Terminator force and 75% of his Neophytes on board key ships to repel any boarding actions. He ordered his fleet to close the gap between his fleet and the unknown craft knowing full well that he needed to keep any enemy fleet as far away from Celia V as possible. As the Templar fleet closed in on the craft it was confirmed they indeed were Chaos cruisers. General quarters sounded through out the fleet and the space battle began once the Marshal ordered all guns to fire! He ordered that communications be sent to Commander Balthazar, the message was "Chaos forces inbound!” As the battle raged it had seemed that it was only minutes ago that the assault on Celia V had started but in fact both battles had been going on for more than a day. The Templar fleet had performed just it had been trained and inflicted heavy losses on the Chaos fleet which was numerous but the Chaos fleet was only a large raiding fleet comprised of few cruisers and smaller craft but their number made up for the lack of capital ships. Scanners had picked up several Chaos craft that had slipped through a gap in the Templar line and heading straight for Celia V but there was nothing Marshal Guy can do as his fleet was fully committed to the current engagement.

 

Commander Balthazar had sent the message to all his forces that Chaos had come and the Fleet had engaged them. The battle was turning in favor of the Templars with 50% of the primary targets reached with the exception of the air defense system deep in Tau territory. They had many casualties but that was expected and he felt pride in which the companies had handled themselves. They were the Emperor's sword and the Tau was fully aware of it now. Reports started to come in on his comm that Tau batteries had begun to fire into the orbit. He knew not if it was his fleet coming back in support or if the Chaos fleet had finally made it to the planet. His questions were answered when the distinct shapes of Chaos drop pods began raining down on Celia V. He turned away from the sky after a huge ball of fire light up the atmosphere and he assumed the space battle was still under way. He ordered his companies to take defensive positions and prepare for the coming invaders.

 

The Tau Commander knew what the long range scanner picked up; Chaos cruisers were arriving in orbit and began to send ground troops to the planet. He ordered his air defense batteries to open up despite knowing that soon the bombardment would come but at least they would destroy as many pods as possible. He had anticipated heavy fire from the cruiser but it never came, instead the comm lit up and a Tau cruiser sent the message that they had engaged the enemy ships above orbit. The Tau Ship Commander ordered reinforcements to the planet and pressed the fight against Chaos ships. The fight was brutal and the tau ship had managed to destroy one of the Chaos ships but has suffered heavy damage. While it did manage to send troops to the planet it had began to take too many hits from the remaining enemy ships and soon it disappeared in a ball of fire.

 

On Celia V both the Imperial and Tau forces stopped firing at each other once they saw the second explosion in the sky and saw Chaos drop pods continue to fall. Both knew without sending word to one another that they had bigger problems on the way besides each other. The space marines were attacked first then several Tau positions reported they had engaged Chaos forces. Hours went by with all three forces taken heavy casualties. The Tau seemed to fairing better as they had received reinforcements from the Tau ship before it was destroyed. Commander Balthazar was taken in reports from all sectors and they were not promising. The Chaos renegades had inflicted many losses on the Templars who were now running short on ammo and troops. He knew all his brothers would fight to the death and he himself was content with dying fighting face to face with the enemy. Several of the Imperial positions had been over run and his would be as well in a few moments as Chaos space marines began to move on his position. As his bolter opened fire raking the enemy heading towards him several explosions began to rock the incoming Chaos troops and he heard the all too familiar sound of an Astartes thunder hawk gunship. He looked up and saw the gunship fly over with all its guns blazing at the enemy! It was dark blue with dark red fists along its side. He also saw dark blue drop pods falling from the sky...he knew who they were! The Crimson Fists had arrived!

 

The comm on Balthazar's helmet came alive "This is Commander Sanchez of the Crimson Fists on board The Red Hand; we have engage the Chaos ships in orbit and are sending reinforcements to your positions! Hold your positions! By Dorn for the Emperor! The CF battle barge “The Red Hand" had engaged the remaining Chaos ships in full fury. The battle was a sight to see from the planet as huge balls of red, blue and yellow flashed in the night sky. The Crimson Fist's troops landed just in time to turn the tide of many fights and in some cases retook positions from the Chaos renegades. The battle had taken another turn yet again. While most Imperial forces engage the Chaos fighters some CF drop pods landed behind the Tau lines and begun to engage the fighters of the greater good. Through out the fields of battle the forces of Chaos were being pushed back and or destroyed.

 

In the orbit of Celia V, The Red Hand was pressing the fight. She had destroyed a couple ships as she surprised them when they jumped into the system. She was already badly damaged and was not prepared for a fight. Commander Sanchez had ordered the barge into the system so she could make repairs and re-equip. She had a skeleton crew manning the ship and was already damaged from fighting Ork hulks prior to this engagement. Under other conditions Commander Sanchez would avoid enemy contact if possible but there were sons of Dorn fighting on the planet and in space nearby and he would not leave them in the hands of both enemies.

 

The Tau Commander was at first relieved that reinforcements had arrived despite the sacrifice of the cruiser but knew it was for the greater good. His troops had repelled the attacks from the Chaos forces and were regaining a lot of the ground lost. He knew the Imperials were still fighting and began to reorganize his troops for an assault on the Templars who would not be able to hold against them now. Just as he started to order units to take positions against the space marines his officers started reporting Imperial forces attacking the rear. “These so called marines are very persistent” he thought. He ordered half his units to counter attack the Crimson Fists as they were already causing havoc on his rear units who were ill prepared to withstand the assault.

 

Commander Sanchez sat in his chair directing fire to the enemy. He was full aware that this was a battle that despite the ferocity his crew fought with it would only be a matter of time his damaged battle barge would give all it could. He ordered all troops to the planet surface in hopes that at least they can continue to fight in the name of the Emperor. The Chaos ships were at first surprised and uncoordinated when he ordered the attack but now that advantage was no more. The Red Hand was taken many hits and while she was still in the fight the damage was taken its toll, she would not make it out of this battle. Commander Sanchez pressed the comm channel button and told his crew “Brothers… it has been my honor to serve with you all and a privilege to die in battle with my brethren! For the Emperor! May his light shine on us all!” He released the button and ordered his helmsman all ahead full. He would lose his ship but he would take several of the Chaos ships with him.

 

Commander Balthazar watched as the Chaos forces withdrew as were in full retreat. Many units of the Crimson Fists had linked up with his units and were giving the enemy heavy fire. All positions had been retaken and he ordered some units to pursue the renegades while the rest prepared to move on the Tau. The Crimson Fist captain had informed him that many units had landed behind Tau lines and Balthazar knew they must seize the initiative. He ordered the assault to begin. Lines of both black and deep blue marines pushed forward. The Tau were simply not prepared. They were trying to reach the rear lines when the units of blue and black marines hit the front lines. The carnage was without words.

 

Commander Sanchez began to brace for the impact to come. He picked out the least damaged enemy ship and hoped that the crash would engulf both of them. He stared out and watched the Chaos ship get bigger and bigger on the view screen. He watched with amazement as explosions from the Red Hand’s guns impacted the enemy vessel and in turn saw flashes of enemy fire shooting at his ship. He jumped off his chair when explosions began to also impact the other side of the enemy ship! Just as the Red Hand was about to ram the chaos ship she blew up in a gas of red and orange fire. As the explosion cleared he saw Dorn’s Bane pouring fire into the remaining Chaos ships.

 

Marshal Guy was sitting on his command chair on the bridge and watched the enemy cruiser explode. He stared at the badly damaged Red Hand coming into view behind the explosion and wondered how she was still fighting. Both ships began to take on the rest of the renegade fleet. The last two remaining Chaos vessels were setting up their suicide runs against both ships. Marshal Guy order all guns to fire on the ship making its attack run on Dorn’s Bane. He had a slight grin on his face when the ship broke in two under the relentless fire of his guns. His grin quickly went away as he shifted his gaze to watch the other Chaos ship ram into The Red Hand.

 

Commander Sanchez was rocked off his command chair as the Chaos ship impact the Red Hand. All around him there were explosions and scattered bodies on the bridge. His ship was lost and support systems were failing. He looked at Celia V and tried to find the mountains where the Tau headquarters had been located. He took over what little remained of the Red Hand’s flight controls and plotted a course straight to the Tau HQ on the planet surface. He knew some of his ship would break apart as it penetrated the planet’s atmosphere but he knew there would be enough of the Red Hand left to make the Tau pay for it’s incursion into Imperial space.

 

The marines had broken through several of the Tau defensive lines. The assault from the combined forces of the Templars and Crimson Fists attacking both the front and rear positions of the Tau were too much for them to bear. They had been taking heavy casualties from the Crimson Fists on their rear units and could not mount a coordinate defense against them. The front lines were somewhat different as they were at least able to inflict casualties but were still losing a lot of ground. The Tau Commander knew what this all meant. He couldn’t understand why these ferocious fighters called space marines did not want to be part of the greater good. He spent a minute thinking of what he would have been able to accomplish if such warriors were under his command. He grabbed a key that was around his neck, his staff looked at it and nodded to him. The Commander gave a nod in return and gave his officers a final salute. He placed his hand over a panel which lit up at his touch, punched some key pads and a panel slid open. He inserted the key and thought “For the greater good” as he was about to turn the key one of his officers reported a large object on a collision course with the HQ. He turned to see the view panel and saw the ruined hulk of what looked like one of those space marine battle barges. He stared back at the key and knew the fusion implosion would take at least 5 minutes to reach critical mass and destroy everything within the hemisphere. It was too late…how did it come to this…how could he not seen this coming…it was for the greater good...for the greater good... All he saw next was blinding light then in a split second it was over.

 

The assault against the main Tau position was under way. Balthazar could see the mountain that was rumored to be the Tau head quarters still miles away but with the way the battle was going they could expect to reach the mountain side in a day or two. He admired the Crimson Fist as they fought with the same vigor and tenacity and his fellow crusaders. There was no doubt that the blood of Rogal Dorn ran through their veins as well. As they progressed towards the next line of defenses he noticed that the fire from the Tau had decreased and then almost stopped. He glanced over and saw many Tau warriors looking and pointing to the sky and he looked at what they were pointing at. What he saw surprised him as it appeared to be a battle barge engulfed in flames heading towards the mountain. Through his visors he was able to magnify the optics and was able to see red fists through the fires burning around the hulk. He quickly ordered all units to take cover and hoped the armor they bore would be enough protection from the coming explosion.

 

The battle was now over. Apothecaries gathered around the casualties. Wounds were healed and geneseed recovered from the dead of both chapters. The Imperium had achieved victory but at a heavy cost. The fields of battle were riddled with the dead of all forces. The corpses of both the Tau and Chaos were piled together and burned. The flame of the Emperor would cleanse all. A command center was set up and the senior officers of both chapters had begun to gather there to give and take in progress reports as well as wait for news from Dorn’s Bane. A landing platform was set up nearby along side one of the smaller mountains. It was in front of what remained of the tall mountain which housed the Tau HQ. It looked as if a huge monster came down and bit a chunk of it off. The collision from the Red Hand had been devastating and only the armor that marines wore was able to withstand the blast but also the fact that the marines were still some distance from the blast zone. Surprisingly no Imperial casualties were caused by the crash.

 

Months now have past since the last battle to take back Celia V. Marshal Guy was in the command center on the planet surface. Much had happened since they first entered the Medina system to recapture it for the Emperor. Pockets of Chaos and Tau resistance were being dealt with and the planet was now secured. The warp storms had dissipated but still did not allow communication to and from other Imperial systems. The rest of the planets in the system still needed to be secured. Several hidden caches of supplies left behind years ago had been found and the repairs on Dorn’s Bane were under way. The Marshal now stood in front of the captains from both chapters. They had bore the onslaught of both enemies and performed their duties without fail. He admired them all as they stood at attention in front of them in black and deep blue armor. He knew that while all were Astartes and founded from Rogal Dorn’s gene seed as long as they wore different armor there would be a division. In the next coming months, that was something he couldn’t afford to have.

 

The Marshal now stood with his bleached bone cape wrapped around his armor. His arms were hidden underneath the cloth but all could tell they were across his chest. As he rose to the pedestal his voice echoed the following “Brothers! We have all bled on this crusade and though many have sacrificed themselves for the victory on Celia V, our work is not done! Let us not forget those who gave their lives so. We have lost many brothers but have also reunited with many more. Now we stand together…brothers in arms! Ready to shine the Emperor’s light into the darkness! Look around you brothers! What do you see! You see Black Templars along side Crimson Fists! Do you know what I see?! I only see sons of Dorn!! We now have a new beginning. We are cut off from the rest of the Imperium for now and can only hope that some passing by might be able to pick up the beacons from the repair stations! With a new dawn also comes a new beginning! We must now rebuild our forces and continue the Emperor’s work together! No more are we just Black Templars and Crimson Fists!” The Marshal unraveled his clock and revealed his armor. It was bright silver with a bleached bone tabard covering his torso and on it was a scarlet cross. His Shoulder pads were white with dark red crosses instead of the usual black. “As of this day we are now THE CRIMSON TEMPLARS!”

 

This is my first take on the fluff so if anyone has ideas please feel free to let me know.

Let me know what you guys think!

TIA

[Brother Grius]

I think that Marshal is a little crazy. His prerogative though. It was pretty good, but rather lengthy. I'm not much for reading stories however. I think it's a good start for a chapter, and gives you a lot of room to add things you like.

 

What kind of differences will they have from the Templars and Fists? Templars are pretty far from the standard chapter, and Crimson Fists are pretty conforming to the Astartes standards. They could have all kinds of weird tactics.

[merc3065]

Renegade lol

 

Good read!

[Von Richthofen]

My only concern is that, given the fact that the Fists are a Chapter on the verge of extinction, I can't see any of them turning aside from their duty to rebuild their Chapter... unless you have it happen before the Rynn's World incident...